The Image staff muses on the culture of keeping up appearances

New York designer Brian Reyes hosts an elegant trunk show in Beverly Hills

March 13, 2010 | 9:53
am

New York-based designer Brian Reyes, a former protege of Oscar de la Renta's, flew into town to host a trunk show for his fall 2010 collection at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills on Friday.

The easygoing, Colombian-born designer greeted shoppers and members of the fashion media in front of rolling racks bearing the vibrant collection, which takes inspiration from trees and burning wood.

"Spring was all about science and technology," Reyes said. "So I wanted fall to be a bit more natural -- in a forest, surrounded by trees."

The line is full of earthy references, including an architectural jacket rendered in a gorgeous birch-inspired print (see above, right), cocktail dresses peppered with the colors of fire -- deep orange, purple and blue -- and a gauzy cream tunic that, from afar, looks like a tiger print but is actually a tiny graphic of silhouetted birds and people.

Reyes, who was hanging out with friend and fellow designer Magda Berliner at the event, said the L.A. customer differs from his New York clientele because, "You do have seasons here, but they don't change that much. And people embrace colors here. There's a certain ease to people in L.A. In New York, it's really lots of black."